Viktor Gyokeres was substituted at half-time during Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Burnley.
The Gunners cemented top spot in the Premier League following a routine win at Turf Moor which saw Mikel Arteta’s side record a seventh consecutive clean sheet in all competitions.
Gyokeres put the visitors ahead in the 14th minute when he headed home from close range after Declan Rice’s corner had been steered into his path by Gabriel Magalhaes.
The Sweden international played a key role in the goal that made the game safe 10 minutes before the interval when he led a threatening break and speared a superb pass out to Leandro Trossard, whose perfectly flighted cross was met with an emphatic header by Rice.
Fresh from ending a six-game Premier League drought, Gryokeres would have been hoping to to cash in again after the restart, but he failed to emerge having been replaced by Mikel Merino.
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‘In the first half was one of the best he’s played with us,’ said Arteta after the game.
‘He felt something muscular so we have to wait to learn the extent of that.’
Arteta added: ‘The first half was exceptional, we scored two goals and gave nothing away. That was the platform.
‘We had to make a few changes and didn’t have that much control in the second half. Defending was exceptional again, we didn’t give anything.
‘There is a reason they have lost one game in 18 months here, against Liverpool in the last second of the game.’
Arteta reserved special praise for Rice whose goal put the gloss on an all action display at the heart of his side’s midfield.
‘He stepped up,’ said Arteta. ‘He won I don’t know how many balls and tackles. It’s the evolution of a player.’
Rice, himself, was eager to praise a Burnley side who put in a spirited display, especially after the break, and showed why they are such a tough nut to crack on home soil.
He said: ‘They’ve maybe lost once in like 18 months. We knew it was going to be tough, so we had to stick to our principles. Our quality shone through and we could have scored four or five in the first half.
‘It’s important we keep scoring goals. Two goals are perfect for us. If you look at the goal as a whole, we’re defending a long throw from our own half.
‘Big Gabby wins the ball and I keep running with the ball. I was like a traditional number nine!’
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